The Beau Arts Museum in Bastide Saint Lewis (Carcassonne)

Carcassonne is a city in two parts, divided by the Aude River. After visiting the Medieval City, I poked around the Bastide Saint Louis, which had its own historical notes to mention here.

Named after King Lous IX, who authorized the construction of towns on the left bank of the Aude, the Bastide Saint Louis was built in 1260 but razed in 1355 by Edward, known as the Black Prince. It was rebuilt and fortified with a surrounding wall in 1359. By the 17th century, the moats were filled in and made into promenades and the fortified walls were opened. The drawbridge was converted in 1778 to the Portal des Jacobins, leading to the commercial and shopping district.

The district’s main tourist point is Place Carnot and its Neptune Fountain (pictured at top), built in 1771 by Barata and Son at the behest of Louis XIV. The base is pink Caunes marble, the fountain itself is Italian white marble mined from the same quarry that supplied marble to the Versailles and the White House.

The Beau Arts Museum is housed in a building dating to the 16th century and houses modern works and religious artifacts in one wing, and a collection of some very large oil paintings in the other.

I’m not a fan of modern art, but I did find some favorites here, including “Babies are Hope” by Philippe Shangti, born in Toulouse in 1983; he created this sculpture in 2020.

“Babies are Hope” by Philippe Shangti
PHOTOGRAPH BY Heather Daveno

Many of the pieces in the religious wing were reproductions. This Eucharistic Dove was reproduced in 1870 from a drawing from Viollet-le-Duc – the French architect who was responsible for restoring Carcassonne and many other major historical landmarks in France.

Eucharistic Dove
PHOTOGRAPH BY Heather Daveno
Dove drawing from Viollet-le-Duc
PHOTOGRAPH BY Heather Daveno

A very large reliquary bust of Saint Louis, crafted in 1857 after a drawing by Viollet-le-Duc of the original model by Guillaume Julien in 1306. This piece is silver on a wood core, with bronze, enamels and glasswork. It is said to house the tunic and a rib of King Louis, the only French king to ever be canonized.

Reliquary bust of Saint Louis
PHOTOGRAPH BY Heather Daveno

There was a room housing the biggest oil paintings I have ever seen. This one, painted by Jean-Paul Laurens in 1879, is one of the rare examples in the museum’s collection depicting the Albigensian Crusade. It shows Bernard Delicieux (1260-1320), the Franciscan who resisted the Inquisition in Carcassonne and the imprisonment of the Cathars.

Albigensian Crusade as painted by Jean-Paul Laurens
PHOTOGRAPH BY Heather Daveno

This painting, which I did not capture the title or artist, yielded some incredibly detailed costume studies which I have posted to my website.

Woman in ruff
PHOTOGRAPH BY Heather Daveno

A bust of Fabre D’Eglantine, a French political dramatic satirist and prominent figure in the French Revolution, sculpted in plaster by Aybram, a 19th century artist.

Bust of Fabre D’Eglantine
PHOTOGRAPH BY Heather Daveno

Exiting the museum, you will find artworks in the park that faces the museum, most notably “Helena” crafted by Raymond Sudre in 1905. Towards the other end of the park is a charming bronze boy on a swing, that you can actually push to make him swing. The park has a reflection pool with spitter fountains, and seating and offers a pleasant green space to relax in.

Helena by Raymond Sudre
PHOTOGRAPH BY Heather Daveno

The Beau Arts Museum is located at 15 boulevard Camille Pelletan in Carcassonne. It is open Tuesday-Saturday from 9:45 AM to 6:15 PM with a break between 12:30-1:30 when the museum is closed for lunch.

Pets are allowed, and this museum is wheelchair accessible. I do not remember having to pay for admission, so please drop a donation in their box in the gift shop.

*    *    *

Heather Daveno

Heather Daveno hails from Seattle, Washington, where she works as an office manager by day and a self taught textile artisan by night. In her spare time she is a “hobby historian” and is currently researching the female side of her family history for a book she plans to write, titled: “The Matriarch Diaries.”

You can see her current textile projects at August Phoenix Mercantile and her travels at Daveno Travels.